Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Health Care Hot in Electoral Battlegrounds

With Election Day just hours away, presidential candidates
Texas Gov.
George W. Bush (R) and Vice President Al Gore continue to scramble
for votes in key battleground states -- Florida, Pennsylvania,
Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri -- where health care has played
a pivotal role in the campaign. Capsule summaries of the race in
these states appear below.
With its 25 electoral votes, Florida remains this year's
largest prize among toss-up states. Gore and Bush have "flitted
in and out" of the state in the past week with many voters "still
up for grabs." According to Democratic and Republican
strategists, the winning candidate must capture the "I-4
corridor," a ribbon of interstate highway that runs from Daytona
Beach to Tampa Bay with about 5.1 million residents (Clary, Los Angeles Times, 11/5). Health care issues,
such as prescription drug coverage, the uninsured, Medicare
reform and patients' rights have found "particular resonance" in
Florida, a state with a large senior population. "The big issue
is definitely prescription drugs. ... [I]t's the issue driving
the whole election," Florida AARP official Ed Burtenshaw said
(Morris, Miami Herald, 10/22). During the final
"frantic" days of the campaign, Gore has used television ads and
campaign appearances to "make headway" in Florida, warning
seniors about the "dangers" Bush would pose to the Medicare
program. The Bush campaign has accused Gore of "trying to scare
people into the voting booth" (Hosler, Baltimore
Sun, 11/3). However, a "huge turnout" of seniors
could "deliver the state to Gore" (Lorente, Ft. Lauderdale
Sun-Sentinel, 10/15). Experts also contend that
another large voting bloc -- Latino voters -- favor Gore's health
care proposals, although Bush "could get some support" from this
population (Los Angeles Times, 11/5). Although most
experts consider Florida a "Republican stronghold," with Bush's
brother Jeb Bush serving as governor, Gore has provided a "stiff
challenge" in the Sunshine State (West,
Baltimore Sun, 11/5). A recent Zogby poll
showed Gore leading 46% to 42% in Florida, while a Mason-Dixon
survey found Bush ahead 44% to 42%, with both leads inside the
margin of error (Hotline, 11/3).
Pennsylvania: Courting Women Key to Victory
In Pennsylvania, the fifth-largest electoral prize, experts
predict that Bush and Gore will have to court women, a voting
bloc generally concerned about health care issues and supportive
of abortion rights, to win the state's 23 electoral votes
(Deardorff, Chicago Tribune, 11/2).
Suburban women have "swept to the forefront" in recent weeks and
may "tip the balance" in the Keystone State. While rural men in
Pennsylvania remain "strongly pro-Bush," women continue to
"waver" on Gore. The vice president led Bush 53% to 31% among
Pennsylvania women in September, but that lead has dropped to 45%
to 38%, according to a poll released Oct. 31. Suburban women
"tend to feel more intensely" about health care than men, and the
candidates have focused largely on the issue in Pennsylvania. In
addition, Gore attracts many women voters by backing abortion
rights, while Bush remains "vehemently" antiabortion (Mehren, Los Angeles Times, 11/5). Thousands of
suburban women, drawn to Bush on some issues, do not "want to see
Roe v. Wade overturned," leading the Texas governor
to downplay the issue and "sound as all-encompassing as
possible." Both candidates have also targeted Pennsylvania's
large senior population, highlighting the "utterly dominant"
issues of Medicare and prescription drug coverage (Eichel,
Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/15). A recent Zogby poll
showed Gore ahead 45% to 41%, with a four-point margin of error
(Hotline, 11/3).
Michigan: Unions, 'McCainiacs' Define Race
While Michigan voters remain "unpredictable," health care
looms large in the Wolverine State, with 29% of voters listing
the issue as their "top issue" in a recent EPIC/MRA poll.
Michigan, with its 18 electoral votes, serves as "ground zero" in
this year's election, but both candidates have struggled to lock
up their bases of support (Zremski, Buffalo News,
10/29). Unions in the state have expressed "enthusiastic
support" for Gore -- although he "anger[ed]" some members by
backing legislation that opened trade with China -- citing his
"close" position to labor's on health care and other issues. "If
the unions weren't active, Gore wouldn't have a chance," Michigan
State University political science professor David Rohde said,
adding that without Michigan, "he doesn't have a chance
nationwide" (Greenhouse, New York Times, 11/2). In
the Bush camp, the "McCainiacs," supporters of former
presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), could "play a
decisive role" and carry the state for Bush, but many remain
undecided (Sherman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
10/20). Bush has also grabbed backing from the state's estimated
150,000 Arab-American voters, with Arab-American leaders
announcing their support (AP/Detroit News, 10/20).
According to a recent Zogby poll, Gore leads in Michigan 50% to
40%, while a Detroit News survey found Gore ahead of
Bush 46% to 40%, inside the margin of error
(Hotline, 11/3).
Wisconsin: Ads, Ads and More Ads
In Wisconsin, with its 11 electoral votes, the airwaves
remain "jammed with dueling campaign ads" on health care and
other key issues from both candidates, who have fought the "big
battle" for the White House on the state's "presidential
gridiron" (Bailey, Los Angeles Times, 10/16). A
report released on Oct. 30 found that Green Bay ranks as one of
the top 10 markets nationwide for presidential campaign
advertising since June 1, a blitz that will likely continue until
Election Day. "Wisconsin is being targeted, has been targeted,
continues to be targeted and will continue to be targeted at a
very high level by Gore, Bush, the Democratic National Committee
and the Republican National Committee," University of
Wisconsin-Madison professor Ken Goldstein said (Associated
Press, 10/31). In recent weeks, Gore has "shift[ed]" more
money to Wisconsin, using "populist" attacks on pharmaceutical
firms and HMOs to attract voters (Washington Post/Minneapolis
Star-Tribune, 10/31). Bush has targeted women
voters in Wisconsin, highlighting his commitment to health care
(Abraham, Boston Globe, 10/16). According to a
recent Zogby poll, Gore leads in the state 46% to 41%, while a
similar Research 2000 poll found the vice president ahead 46% to
40%. Both advantages, however, remained within the margin of
error (Hotline, 11/3).
Missouri: Abortion and 'Single-Issue' Voters Key
With most Missouri residents "at a loss" to differentiate
between Bush's and Gore's competing proposals on health care and
other issues, abortion may emerge as the concern most likely to
sway the state's voters. Called "the absolute center of American
politics this year" by Scott Reed, former Kansas Republican Sen.
Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign manager, Missouri has
recently seen last-minute campaign stops by both candidates
hoping to rally the state's voters and capture its 11 electoral
votes (Sawyer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/5). Despite the
candidates' emphasis on larger issues, such as Medicare reform,
"controversial social issues such as abortion" may drive Missouri
voters to the voting booths on Election Day, and abortion groups
have concentrated their efforts on winning votes for their
respective candidates. Among Missouri residents, abortion
remains one of "the few issues that really struck a nerve" among
undecided voters (Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
10/15). In a recent Zogby poll, Bush remains ahead of Gore 47%
to 45%, but the lead falls inside the margin of error
(Hotline, 11/3).
And the Rest?
With Bush and Gore racing toward the "finish line," both in
"striking distance" of the White House, the remaining swing
states could determine the outcome of the election (Lambro,
Washington Times, 11/5). A report of how the
candidates have fared in recent polls appears below.